The nominees for THE 45TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS were announced today during a live press conference at the TV One presentation to the Television Critics Association during its Winter 2014 Press Tour in Pasadena, CA. David Oyelowo (“Lee Daniels’ ‘The Butler’”), Joe Morton (ABC’s “Scandal”), Keke Palmer (VH1’s “CrazySexyCool”), Bresha Webb (TV One’s “Love That Girl”) and Gina Torres (USA’s “Suits”) announced the categories and nominees with NAACP Image Awards Committee Chairman, Leonard James and President and CEO of TV One, Alfred Liggins.

The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. Winners will be voted upon by NAACP members and announced when the envelopes are opened on Friday, February 21 during the Awards Ceremony for non-televised categories. The remaining categories will be announced LIVE on stage during the two-hour star-studded TV One telecast on Saturday, February 22 (9:00 p.m. ET/PT tape-delayed). The telecast will also include a one-hour pre-show airing live from the red carpet (8:00 p.m. ET/PT tape-delayed).

BET and CBS lead the nominees in the TV categories with 19 and 16 nominations respectively, followed by ABC with 15 nominations and HBO with 13 nominations. In the recording category, RCA leads with 10 nominations, followed by Atlantic Records with eight nominations and Columbia Pictures with seven nominations. In the motion picture category, The Weinstein Company leads with 17 nominations, followed by Fox Searchlight Pictures with seven nominations.

“This has been an incredible year from the artistic community, with phenomenal contributions across the board from the music, television, motion picture, and literature genres that have the power and impact to drive social change,” stated Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the NAACP. “The NAACP Image Awards provides an excellent venue to recognize those who make a difference through art and activism, and we are excited to honor and celebrate this caliber of talent.”

“The Image Awards recognize the best that communities of color have to offer and is an exciting addition to our programming line-up — TV One is pleased to showcase all of these achievements on our network,” stated Liggins.

Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. The organization’s half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities and monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. The NAACP’s half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities and monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

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Launched in January 2004, TV One (www.tvone.tv) serves more than 57.4 million households, offering a broad range of real-life and entertainment-focused original programming, classic series, movies and music designed to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience of adult Black viewers. In December 2008, the company launched TV One High Def, which now serves 14 million households. TV One is owned by Radio One [NASDAQ: ROIA and ROIAK, www.radio-one.com], the largest radio company that primarily targets Black and urban listeners, and Comcast Corporation [NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), www.comcast.com], one of the nation’s leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services. TV One is available to AT&T, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, Mediacom, Suddenlink, Time Warner, Verizon, and Wide Open West subscribers.